It Happened to Alexa Foundation offers program for youths

by jmaloni

Press release

Fri, Apr 19th 2013 02:15 pm

The It Happened to Alexa Foundation,
founded by Tom and Stacey Branchini, honors the courage of their daughter,
Alexa, who survived a traumatic rape by a stranger who broke into her college
dormitory the second week of her freshman year. The foundation provides
financial, emotional and advocacy assistance to victims who prosecute their
attackers.

The It Happened to Alexa Foundation has
successfully been working on an educational outreach program with Niagara
County schools for three years. In the past, Grigg Lewis and the Sabres
Foundation have contributed funding to this venture.

"Our challenge has been the manpower to
approach the schools and fulfill all the requests that we get," said It
Happened to Alexa Foundation Executive Director Ellen Augello. "That will no
longer be an issue as the foundation was able to hire a part-time educational
outreach/victim support person. Mrs. Sandra Lahrache started with the
foundation in September and we could not be more thrilled to have Sandra as
part of the Alexa Foundation team. Sandra is a licensed victim advocate and
crisis service counselor, as well as an accomplished presenter. She is very
well-suited to work with school-age children as well as college-age students."

Safe Dates with the Alexa Foundation is a
hybrid of the safe dates national program enhanced by safety issues facing
today's young adolescents. The foundation offers this program in response to
the alarming statistic that 1 in 3 adolescents are victims of dating abuse.

The main goal of the Safe Dates program is
to equip students with the skills and resources to help themselves or friends
in an abusive relationship. It can be used as a prevention or intervention tool
in recognizing violent or abusive behaviors in others, as well as strategies to
control their own anger.

The It Happened to Alexa Foundation would
like to help create a school environment where respect and responsibility are
promoted and violence and sexual harassment are not. By educating youth on this
crucially important topic, the foundation said it hopes to reduce these
statistics throughout the community.

Those who would like to
make a donation to assist with the funding of this program, and those who would
like the Safe Dates program brought to their school, should contact Lahrache at
716-754-2210 or call the It Happened to Alexa Foundation at 716-754-9105 or 1-877-77-ALEXA.